Push for Cleaner Stoves in Poor Countries to Cut Pollution

Do you know what black carbon is? It is killing millions of Indian women each year as reported in an article by the Associated Press.  The article cites the findings from Post-2015 Consensus research on smart solutions to tackle air pollution as well as quotes Bjorn Lomborg on what are the best bang-for-the-buck solutions which the global development community can enlist to address death by black carbon.

A recent study by 82 economists for Lomborg's Copenhagen Consensus estimated it would cost $137 billion to give everyone the cleanest burning gas-fueled stoves.

Every dollar of that one big investment would produce $2 in benefits such as lower medical costs, cheaper fuel and longer lives, the study shows. But that may not be the best way to spend limited resources, considering that one expense is nearly equal to the entire global development budget.

Instead, the study suggests a partial measure in spending $5 billion to provide half of those in need with more efficient stoves that still burn solid fuel, rather than gas. This would eliminate the dirtiest stoves first, and result in saving half a million lives. Overall, this approach would produce benefits of $10 for every dollar spent.

The article have been circulated across major news outlets. You can read the entire article in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Huffington Post and the World News Report (among hundreds of other news outlets worldwide).